Love Story
by silentmuse24
Summary: Kelpay one-shot! Don't like? Don't read! Through the mist of unrequited love, Kelsi buries herself in music, but Sharpay has other plans for her sawed off Sondheim that may just backfire. FEED THE BARD! Review.


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**A/N:** So I've had this idea in my head for a while and I had to get it out of there before it drove me INSANE! So, I hope you enjoy this piece, I really don't care too much for whether you do or don't this is just something I wanted to write, so read on fans, read on!

--x--

Frivelous strings moaning from the strain of being played relentlessly, echoed throughout East High's empty theatre, bouncing off the walls, a single spotlight on the stage was lit, whereas the orchestra and seats were all surrounded by nothing but darkness, save for the bright red glow of Exit lights near the doors in the back. Sitting at the ancient, upright piano, was noneother than the student bodies rising music-writing talent, Kelsi Nielsen, not that anyone outside her small group of friends, truly knew the young artist, and honestly, that didn't bother Kelsi, not one bit, because as she sat there, her fingers growing numb as they slammed along the keys in aggrivation and the tunes of the piano sounded out in harmonizing agony, thoughts swirled around her head so fast in pure fury that she could not concentrate on anything other than venting it out to her beloved instrument.

The piano was her passion, it had been the first and only instrument she'd ever learned to play, her mother used to play, once upon a time, before her sickness took her life. Kelsi remembered that no matter how weak and frail her mother had been, she always found time to play, even if only for a few minutes, that was the only thing that really made her mother feel normal again, was the gentle melodies that the piano would reap from each solid stroke of the ivory keys, on better days, she had slowly taught Kelsi how to play simple notes and soon Kelsi grew just as passionate when she realized how easily distracted she could become after playing a few bars, how the world around her just seemed to fog, and nothing else could touch her spirit like music could, her heart pounding, racing inside her ribcage with every beat, the sweat on her brow, concentrating on getting every note just exactly right with the right amount of time and essence, making everyday sounds into a beautiful composition.

Yes, music was her heart and soul, or at least it had been for nearly her entire life, until the day her heart began playing along to the beat of someone else's drum.

The vision of a brown-eyed blonde, twirling along the stage, her porcelain skin glowing in the spotlight, her every curve, every single movement graceful, like a ballerina, her voice, a high staccatto, that never once had any issue keeping up with any note played behind it. Absolute perfection it was, that had swept Kelsi off of her feet and stolen her breath away from the moment she first laid eyes on her.

Sharpay Evans was the queen of East High, a princess in every way, and Kelsi was nothing less than her piper, there to use at her disposal, but happily so. Kelsi gladly traded away many freedoms, many nights that she could have spent studying for tests or enjoying a night out with her Dad, just to spend time with Sharpay, writing music, practicing lines, going over notes and changing bars, even when Sharpay would criticize her music, it would hurt, but she knew that Sharpay demanded perfection, she was perfection, so with every performance, Kelsi had grown to be a better composer, writer and musician, all thanks to Sharpay.

Sure, there were times, like Junior year, when Gabriella Montez entered East High, when Kelsi was certain the balance had been ripped away from Sharpay, and Kelsi struggled to keep up with her demands, while also enjoying some more freedoms that Troy and Gabriella brought to Kelsi's music, but she still loved writing for Sharpay, knowing that even when Sharpay threw a hissy fit and tried to ruin chances for others just so she could remain at the top, even when she changed the bars of Kelsi's songs and added new keys, Sharpay needed Kelsi, more than she knew.

Yet now, as she sit here, ramming at the keys, trying to find a solution to why she couldn't get past her anger with the diva, after working so hard to write perfect songs for Troy and Gabriella and the other Wildcats as they prepared themselves for the biggest stage performance before graduation, Kelsi knew that she could never stay angry at Sharpay for long, even after she practically thrust herself into Troy's arms... tried to steal Gabriella's part to be with Troy--

_SNAAAAP!!_

Kelsi jerked upright, breathing heavily, her right index finger stuck on the same key that had just possibly snapped a wire within the piano, she pressed the key a time or two, it shook loosely, but no sound. _Damn, Miss Darbus will probably give me detention for a week for breaking another string... That's five this year!_ Kelsi groaned. She lifted her cap off of her head and wiped the sweat from her brow off on her sleeve before replacing it over her messy curls before shuffling through her sheet music and standing up, she was just about to open the piano to see how much damage she'd caused when the sudden echo of heels against hardwood flooring caught her attention. Her eyes widened behind her new framed glasses, so happy to be rid of her old dorky round wires, these were much more comfortable on her nose and she'd recieved so many more compliments about them.

"Good, you're still here,"the angelic voice stated emotionlessly. Sharpay paused about a foot from the piano where Kelsi now stood leaning over on the piano stool, grateful to be held up by its weight, for her knees felt like jelly in her presence. Kelsi breathed in and out through her nose, trying to calm her racing heart, she was sure Sharpay could hear it hammering inside. "I need a song from you."

"Pardon?"Kelsi asked, a bit sluggish, her brain was working a bit slower as she surveyed the way the blonde's dark blue jeans fitted her curvy figure perfectly.

"I need a new love song, this whole Just Wanna Be With You crap just isn't working since it keeps seeming to distract Troy everytime we sing, I dont need him ruining my chances at Julliard during the upcoming play-"Sharpay continued to talk, but until she brought up Troy, Kelsi hardly heard anything else, and soon, that ugly little jealous demon was back, and Kelsi scowled.

"Got it, new song," Kelsi opened the piano top and tried to bury herself in the wires where she immediately noticed the broken steel and yanked it out furiously. Sharpay stepped back, not that Kelsi saw her, but her heels clicked.

"Uhm, aren't you going to ask what I'm looking for?"Sharpay asked, a bit scurried as Kelsi suddenly slammed the top of the piano down and then hopped onto the stage from her spot, broken wire wrapped around her fist, nearly cutting into her circulation from her grip.

"Not really, look, I'm busy,"Kelsi tried to walk past Sharpay, but a hand on her shoulder stopped Kelsi immediately and her eyes shot open, breath hitching.

"Kelsi, I-"Kelsi turned toward Sharpay, and for a moment, was shocked at the raw emotion and worry that was etched on the blonde's features. It was unlike Sharpay to ever really show true feelings to anyone, she'd always been closed off, even toward her own twin brother, but before Kelsi could open her mouth to ask what was wrong, the bitch-facade was back and Sharpay yanked her hand back as if she'd been burned, and straightened herself up. "I need the song as soon as possible, I'll check up on you tommorow,"Sharpay stated in her cool, stand-offish voice.

"Tomorrow is Saturday-"

"Toodles!"Sharpay was already on her way out the door, and with the slamming of the backstage door, emptiness on top of the silence filled Kelsi from the inside out.

--x--

"Damnit!"Kelsi swore loudly, scratching out whatever it was on the piece of notebook paper and then crumpling it, she missed the basket.. again and it lay on the floor with several other balled up wads of notes. Kelsi sighed and with the pencil stuck behind her ear, she pressed her fingers along a few keys, going over the languid motions of a few notes that she'd begun once she'd gotten home, she made dinner and kept some in the stove for her Dad when he got off work, and continued to play the piano til her fingers just about broke off, trying to start something similar to a song for Sharpay.

"Rough day, kiddo?"the rough southern brogue of her father's voice broke through the heavy sigh that Kelsi let out as she tried to jot down her notes. She twisted around in her swirling stool-chair and pasted as much of a smile as she could muster for her hero. Her father was a bear of a man, very tall, burly, with a year-long stubble and thick brown hair that rested in neat curls along the nape of his neck, with kind green eyes and dimples, it was hard to see what Kelsi took from her father's side of the gene pool, if not for just his never-ending generosity and genuine smiles.

"Hey Dad,"Kelsi's smile fell a little as she tapped the end of her pencil onto the pad sitting in her lap. He walked down the small staircase that led into her little den/music area that had once been her mother's studio and was now Kelsi's private work area for her to escape, it was cozy, with a worn leather sofa, a woodstove for the winter, a mini-fridge, several posters and framed portraits of musical legends hanging along the wood-panelled walls, and a restroom closed off by a shower curtain, it had everything Kelsi usually needed.

"What's going on in here? You usually save cursing fits for the night before your big productions... and last I checked your Spring Musical isn't for at least another month?"Kelsi's father knew his daughter so well, she smiled as she turned back to the keys and he pressed a warm, massive hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Kelsi was thankful for him, there had been times while growing up, when both Nielsen's weren't sure whether they'd survive without Rebecca Nielsen's presence in the household, but they turned out just fine.

"You're right.. its just that I'm trying to rewrite a new song for Sharpay, because of Gabriella leaving she's taking over her role in the musical and I'm trying to make it easier on Troy by leaving their song out of it..."Kelsi sighed. "But I can't get anything to fit because.. well I dont know how to write a love song for Sharpay and.. Troy, when they aren't even together!!"

Kelsi's heart seemed to clench painfully at the thought of Sharpay wanting Troy, even after knowing that Gabriella and Troy were together, Sharpay still lusted after him, and it drove her nuts knowing that Sharpay would never look at her the way she did him.

"Well maybe thats just the problem..."he stated.

"What? That they aren't together? Dad, there is no way I'm going to try and play matchmaker-!"Kelsi started.

"Whoa, there, I never said you had to, look Kels'... you care about Sharpay, right?"Kelsi blinked, looking at her father, who stared back at her almost knowingly. "Am I right? I mean you've been writing songs for her for what? Four years now?"he asked.

"Yeah?"Kelsi waited for him to continue, wondering where he could be going with this.

"And you don't want to hurt Troy by making him express feelings through a song to Sharpay, that he couldn't sing with his whole heart.. and Sharpay doesn't exactly seem to get that part, but you do.. you're exactly like your mother that way-"he beamed. Kelsi looked back down at her paper and then at the piano, tentavely she raised a hand and hit a few bars, and then changed her mind and rested her hand on the other side of the piano, playing the same bars on the opposite keys.

"Sounds good, kiddo,"he kissed the crown of her head. "Just don't stay up too late, okay?"he smiled. Kelsi hardly paid mind to his words, however, as her imagination flew and she began jotting notes here and there, and pressing new keys and beginning a small melody followed by a few rhyming words.

--x--

Kelsi had passed out along the sofa, buried under a mound of sheet music, for a few hours after it hit three AM and she knew she needed to rest, but when daylight broke, she was up again and writing, playing, while her father made breakfast and got ready to leave for a half-day of work. The doorbell sounding and her father answering it hardly registered in Kelsi's mind as she played a few more bars and sang...

"_I'm not gonna write you to stay_

_If all you have is leaving I'm gonna need a better reason_

_to write you a love song_

_Today._"

"I honestly hope that isn't what you plan for me to sing to Troy in the musical,"Sharpay's sharp voice cut through Kelsi's haze, as per usual. Kelsi, however, did not look up, merely staring at the piano keys as Sharpay came to stand beside her, looking over her shoulder at the paragraphs of sheet music before them.

"Sharpay.. there is something I need to say before I play this for you.."Kelsi started, shakily. Her heart pounded with the raw emotion that streamed through her veins at the prospect of pouring out her heart. "In a few months, we'll graduate, and from what I can assume, you will probably never wish to see or hear from me again, and so, with that knowlege, I'm tired of playing the role of your sawed-off Sondheim, I'm tired of giving my all to you only to have you throw my work back in my face because it's not good enough or I didn't write it in the right key or you want to use my music to win the heart of someone who will never be yours-"

"Kelsi-"

"I'm not finished,"Kelsi snapped, turning her firery gaze toward her object of affection, that looked absolutely shocked at being rebuked. "Sharpay, you never see what's right in front of you, you only see yourself, you're selfish, verbally abusive, a royal snobby pain in the ass and at times, a total bitch..."Sharpay's mouth opened, then closed, once, twice, several times, resembling a fish out of water. "But I still write for you, and for once, I'm going to play this song, a song _I _wrote for _you_, so you can understand exactly how _I_ feel and hopefully open your eyes for once."

Kelsi began playing the opening bars of her song, and soon, began softly singing, not caring whether Sharpay would turn away and leave or stay to hear it.

"_Head under water,_

_and you tell me, to breathe easy for a while_

_But breathing gets harder_

_even I know that_

_Made room for me_

_its too soon to see_

_If I'm happy in your hands_

_I'm unusually hard to hold onto_

_Blank stares at blank pages_

_no easy way to say this_

_You mean well, but you make this_

_hard on me..._"

As Kelsi sang, she became lost in her world as she prayed that Sharpay was understanding how difficult she really felt this was, telling her everything...

"_I'm not gonna write you a love song_

_cause you asked for it,_

_cause you need one, you see_

_I'm not gonna write you a love song_

_Cause you tell me its make or break in this _

_If you're on your way_

_I'm not gonna write you to stay_

_If all you have is leavin' I'm gonna need_

_a better reason to write you_

_A love song, today..._"

Skipping over a few bars, to really get to her point, she found comfort in the warmth of Sharpay's body sitting down beside her, close enough to feel the faint hairs standing on Sharpay's arms.

"_Promise me_

_You'll leave a light on to help me see_

_my guide, gone_

_'cause I believe there's a way_

_you can love me because I say_

_I won't write you a love song_

_cause you asked for it_

_cause you need one, you see_

_I'm not gonna write you a love song_

_cause you tell me its make or break in this_

_if you're on your way_

_I'm not gonna write you to stay_

_If your heart is no where in it_

_I don't want it for a minute_

_Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe_

_that there's a reason to write you_

_a love song, today..._"

Kelsi finished with a few final bars of just playing the piano, trying to bide her time, though growing more confident with every moment that Sharpay had not turned on her heel and fled out the doorway. She ended it and breathed out, feeling as if the weight on her heart and shoulders was finally, just a little lighter, yet her soul still felt heavy with the coming dread of having to face her brave maneuver. _Run, you fool, before she destroys what little pride you have left!_ Kelsi obeyed and stood abruptly, not truly sure what to say or do, her voice shook as she spoke,

"I.. uhm- I just wanted you to hear-"Kelsi cursed inwardly at the trembling manor her whole body had taken on, she had to get away, to flee, but where? This was her home, _Anywhere... anywhere is better than here, just get away..._ She turned to put some distance between herself and Sharpay, it hurt being so close, her soul was shredding itself into pieces. She felt like an idiot, what sort of Princess would want the lonely piper when her Prince was practically laid out on a silver platter, now single with his lover's disappearance, and wounded, waiting for her to help mend it. _There is no happy ending for the composer, he just watches Romeo get his Juliet from afar and plays on_..._mustic is all you have_...

She twisted, tears forming, she couldn't let Sharpay see... but she couldn't take one step before her body was frozen at the soft touch of a hand grasping her forearm, shaky, yet stern.

"Please,"the timbre in Sharpay's voice stunned Kelsi. "Don't stop playing.."Kelsi turned and found her breath stolen from her lungs as she looked at her own reflection in bright brown orbs that were glassed over with tears. When had Sharpay stood? Better yet, how had she managed to get so close to where the electrical charge of their bodies was practically visible, Kelsi's betrayful body begged for her to lean in and close the distance, but she couldn't move. "I want to hear a happy ending, please, Kelsi?" Kelsi's throat choked on a sob as she struggled to find her voice.

"I-I can't-"Kelsi's face fell behind a curtain of curls. "Your Prince is your happy ending, Sharpay... not the Piper, only he can determine your happy ending, I just write notes-"tears began to slowly fall, and hit the sole of her chucks, peeking out from beneath her loose painters jeans.

"You're right,"Sharpay whispered. Kelsi's heart broke. "Only my Prince can write my happy ending.." Breathing suddenly became scarce, she felt lightheaded, she needed to escape, run, do anything, she had to get away from Sharpay, she was tearing her down, and soon she would have nothing left to cling to, not even her music. "But the Princess never saw until the Piper showed her, that only _she_ has the gift of writing happy endings..."

Kelsi's head shot up, eyes wide and glassy, shocked to see a real, genuine smile on Sharpay's face.

"M-me?"Kelsi whispered, hope ringing through her voice. Sharpay stepped forward, their bodies grazing, fitting together perfectly with Sharpay's form standing a foot over Kelsi's five-foot-three. A warm palm grazed Kelsi's cheek and the surrealness of it all made her head spin and her heart swell, was this what it felt like to die slowly? Praying for someone or something to put an end to the agonizing torture of waiting?

Smooth lips crashed into Kelsi's and both girls let out a gutteral moan as fireworks flashed behind both their eyelids. Sharpay wrapped her arms around Kelsi's shoulders and Kelsi grasped Sharpay's shoulders from beneath her arms, pressing further into her, unable to think or even really comprehend anything beyond the most wildest kiss of her dreams. She clung tighter as her knees felt like they were going to buckle, finally the need for air became too great and the girls parted, Sharpay leaned her forehead against Kelsi's and smiled.

"You've always been there, Kelsi, writing out my love story one day at a time, I'm just sorry that it took me so long, I've been such an idiot-"

"Okay, I know I'm dreaming because I swear the Sharpay Evans I know would never admit to that,"Kelsi smiled, but at the same time her brain spun with fear of this all being some sick fantasy her heart was toying her with. Sharpay leaned in and kissed her sweetly on the lips once more.

"I'm only saying it to you, because you're my Prince, you ever say otherwise to anyone else, even Ryan, and I'll make you pay,"Sharpay threatened but the smile gave Kelsi no doubt that it was an empty one.

"I think I can hold onto your secret for a while,"Kelsi managed with a grin, hooking her fingers through the belt loops of Sharpay's jeans and pulling her in, loving the feel of Sharpay's body against hers too much. "But only if you promise me one thing."

"What's that?"Sharpay asked, seriously.

"No more love songs,"Kelsi kissed her chin, Sharpay laughed.

"Even if their only for me?"she asked.

"Only for you,"Kelsi agreed.

"Deal,"Sharpay sealed it with another tender kiss.

**xFINx**

* * *

**AN:** Yay, another Kelpay fic, I hope you all enjoyed it, like I said, if you loved it, hated it, whatnot, PLEASE BE KIND AND FEED THE BARD!!! Reviews make me smile xD take care ducklings!!


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